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The Federal Government on Tuesday, said it would spend $16.8 million on the proposed yellow fever campaign scheduled for November, 2018.
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole stated this at the launch of Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemic (EYE), organized by the World Health Organisation, (WHO). According to him, there were 1,640 suspected cases of yellow fever, by March 2018, 6 months after the first case.
He said 115 of them were confirmed in Nigeria but only 41 were confirmed at regional laboratory in Dakar, Senegal.
“Since 2014, we have been doing preventive campaign with 3 states Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Nasarawa States as part of the 7 year plan to provide adequate vaccination to prevent yellow fever, in 2017, after we started seeing cases of yellow fever. And we have already done campaign in several states between January and February in Kwara, Kogi Zamfara and part of Niger.
“So far we are planning more preventive campaigns in November, to reach out to people we were not able to reach in Niger state.
“The amount that would be used for this campaign is about $16.8 million, there are other donors like Gavi alliance. Gavi alliance has so far made provisions of 25 million doses, but we feel we are going to require more than that”.
Adewole said Nigeria has to immunize practically everybody which is a challenge, 14 million has so far been vaccinated, but the target is 25 million in 2018. But we plan to cover the whole nation in 7years.
The Minister lamented the challenges which included scarcity of vaccines, release of counterpart funding by States and diagnosis of yellow fever in Nigeria, most times they take it to Senegal for laboratory testing.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization (WHO), at the occasion lamented the continued increase in the risk of yellow fever outbreaks and Africa in particular.
” The world is facing an increased risked yellow fever outbreaks and Africa is particularly vulnerable. With one injection we can protect a person for life against this dangerous pathogen .This unprecedented commitment by countries will ensure that by 2026 Africa is free of yellow fever epidemic”.
LAIDE AKINBOADE-ORIERE
